North Valley Hospital spruces up

Brandy Burkowski found a lighter, brighter obstetrics department when she came to North Valley Hospital to give birth Wednesday.

Gone were the 1980s colors and window treatments that greeted her first visit a few years ago.

Instead she relaxed in an updated postpartum room, enjoying her new daughter Kaelyn with the baby's father, Neil Volkmar, by her side.

Because she lives in Trego, Burkowski and the baby were booked to stay an extra night by her physician Dr. Mirna Bowden. But she didn't mind.

"I like North Valley Hospital," Burkowski said.

The statement was music to the ears of Lisa Salmon, a nurse in charge of the obstetrics ward, and Carol Blake, head of community relations and the hospital foundation.

Blake, Salmon and other staffers will host the public at an open house Thursday celebrating North Valley Hospital's renovated birth center as well as the new Health Resource Library and MRI service.

Scheduled from 2 to 5 p.m., the open house will feature refreshments in the gift shop and tours of new or upgraded facilities. Staffers will provide information and answer questions.

One question Blake readily addresses is why North Valley has invested money in a building the hospital plans to vacate. She explains that the move won't happen until late winter of 2006 at the earliest.

North Valley has a loan application pending with the Department of Housing and Urban Development to finance a replacement for its current 30-plus-year-old hospital.

The new 72,300 square-foot, single-level facility will occupy a 45-acre site north of Montana 40 at its intersection with U.S. 93 north.

"It's exciting to think we could be breaking ground in 90 days," Blake said.

In the meantime, the hospital has forged ahead with improvements to maintain quality and the Planetree philosophy of patient-centered care.

LuAnn Basirico, Planetree coordinator, said the new Health Resource Library provides books and Web sites with reliable medical information.

"Part of the Planetree philosophy is to provide information to the community," Basirico said. "This library was created for the patient, the patient's family, the staff and the public."

Basirico offers assistance in researching specific topics.

"Most libraries in health-care facilities are used by the staff and physicians," Blake said. "Not many are open to the general public."

North Valley's library offers access by the public from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Thursday. A former waiting room was remodeled to hold the computer, shelves for books and comfortable chairs.

"There's a lot of information out there," Blake said. "It's difficult for an individual to sift through and find information on a specific topic."

Basirico worked with Planetree officials to obtain recommendations of texts and Web sites with the most reliable and up-to-date information. North Valley first opened the resource library doors in late November.

In lieu of coming to the library, the public can access information by going to North Valley Hospital's Web site at www.nvhosp.org and clicking on the fast health link.

The Planetree mission also underpins the remodeling and decoration of the birthing center.

"We tried to give a more home-like appearance to our rooms," Blake said.

New wood floors and cabinets give a lighter, brighter welcome in the common area of the labor, delivery and recovery rooms. Quilts, art prints and pastel colors make visits more like a hotel escape than a hospital stay.

"Our colors are all updated," Salmon said.

The area was last remodeled in the 1980s.

With the help of designer Susan Seaman, the rooms became a soothing environment for expectant mothers to weather labor pains and then celebrate their new babies.

"It's very relaxing for moms," Salmon said.

She opened the door to a combined labor-delivery-recovery room to show off the mellow blue walls accented with new wood window blinds. A postpartum room down the hall was painted two shades of lavender.

"I picked this color myself," she said with a smile.

Salmon said that expectant mothers do place importance on the surroundings for one of the most memorable events of their lives.

"You want to go where it's beautiful," she said.

According to Salmon, obstetrics staff members also get a lift from the remodeling. She said the brightened atmosphere just feels better to everyone.

According to statistics, everyone was pretty busy in the last year.

The staff delivered 199 babies in 2004. So far, Salmon said 2005 looks like an even busier year for the baby end of the hospital business.

A growing demand for orthopedic and other surgery at North Valley Hospital prompted the board of directors to lease the MRI facility parked just outside the hospital. Blake said the new hospital will house a permanent MRI.

"It's the big boy," technologist Robert Cohea said with a smile.

During the Thursday open house, the public is invited to step outside and up the stairs to the trailer holding the magnetic equipment.

The short-bore MRI unit adapts to shoot highly detailed images of any part of the body.

A lift allows patients unable to negotiate the stairs up to the building. Cohea said no one seems to mind making do with the trailer for the convenience of getting an MRI in Whitefish.

"The folks we've served are very happy it's here," he said.

For more information about the open house, call North Valley Hospital's community relations department at 863-3632.

Reporter Candace Chase may be reached at 758-4436 or by e-mail at cchase@dailyinterlake.com.